Developmental Progression of Perceived Gender Similarity in Early Adolescence

This study aimed to examine the developmental progression of gender similarity, an important aspect of gender identity, in early adolescence. At 11 (M _age = 11.01) and 14 years of age (M _age = 14.00), 156 youths (77 girls, 76 boys, 2 transgender boys, 1 gender fluid participant) reported on their perceived own-gender and other-gender similarity levels. Latent change score models suggested that mean levels of own-gender similarity remained stable over time while mean levels of other-gender similarity decreased. No gender differences were found in these mean-level trends. Using autoregressive cross-lagged models to investigate individual differences, a cross-over effect emerged for both gender groups, wherein other-gender similarity at age 11 negatively predicted own-gender similarity at age 14 (controlling for baseline levels of own-gender similarity). These results suggest that both perceived own-gender and other-gender similarity should be assessed when examining gender similarity in early adolescence, as these two subdimensions follow distinct developmental patterns.